MUZZLELOADING QUIRKS! ! !

[jdixon]

Nope - don't do the fouling shot either. My experience is similar to what AZ Robert reported - the first shot always seems to be the best shot. Almost all of my BP shooting is done with hunting in mind. You always start out the hunt with a clean gun (or at least you should), so therefore I try to replicate the "clean gun" for every shot I take at the practice table. I typically run two patches down the bore between each shot, one wet with Ballistol and water - 30/70 ratio then run a dry patch a few times. Every 10 - 15 shots I may run a patch with Butch's Bore Shine down there to free up anything the Ballistol patch is not picking up. This procedure gives me a pretty clean bore for each shot.
Now, I would like to hear from the obsessive compulisives out there that are swabbing the barrels of their cap 'n ball revovlers between every shot - now that would be dedication!

 

[CARBABY]

Per your statement "I wipe the underside of my rock and the face of my frizzen before every shot (seems the humidity forms a sludge down there) and it seems to increase the reliability of ignition." I have a question... Do you use cloth with some kind of cleaner or just use your thumb/(finger)? I have seen both methods and prefer to use cloth myself but some others prefer a black thumb. Any comments???

 

[CARBABY]

I appreciate your comment on the "Chaw Strap" I was wondering whether I was the only one in the world that ever heard of it's implementation. When you mention it is illegal ... at your shoots... Is that addressed somewhere? Like NMLRA rules (In print ? Where?). I'd like to provide some reference to the non-believers. Some think it's on the same lines as tall tales about the Hoop-Snake.

 

I appreciate your comment on the "Chaw Strap" I was wondering whether I was the only one in the world that ever heard of it's implementation. When you mention it is illegal ... at your shoots... Is that addressed somewhere? Like NMLRA rules (In print ? Where?). I'd like to provide some reference to the non-believers. Some think it's on the same lines as tall tales about the Hoop-Snake.

There's Hoop Snakes in the Ozarks but I don't think they range far west enough for the Rockies.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Per your statement "I wipe the underside of my rock and the face of my frizzen before every shot (seems the humidity forms a sludge down there) and it seems to increase the reliability of ignition." I have a question... Do you use cloth with some kind of cleaner or just use your thumb/(finger)? I have seen both methods and prefer to use cloth myself but some others prefer a black thumb. Any comments???

I use a 2" x 4" +/- piece of flannel, tucked in a button-hole im my pouch or elsewhere where it is convenient. I wipe the frizzen, pan and flint after every shot. If it gets cruddy, a dab on my tongue is enough to cut the worst crud. The taste is a bit "unusual" at first, but you get used to it.

Thumbs got oils, and oils kill sparks.

 

[roundball]

Per your statement "I wipe the underside of my rock and the face of my frizzen before every shot (seems the humidity forms a sludge down there) and it seems to increase the reliability of ignition." I have a question... Do you use cloth with some kind of cleaner or just use your thumb/(finger)? I have seen both methods and prefer to use cloth myself but some others prefer a black thumb. Any comments???

At the range, I use a rag and drugstore alcohol to wipe the frizzen, flint, & pan every so often.
For hunting, I carry individual foil sealed alcohol wipes to do the same after a shot.

 

[xbowman]

My quirk is, the people that don't bring a spotting scope to the range and have to have me/us stop so they can walk down to the paper. Bugs me to no end.
xbowman

 

[bpollock_sr]

Ok , you might say they're quirks, I don't , but here goes. I do everything that I can myself.I cast all my ball and conicals , make my own lubes,patch knives, nipple and vent picks,knapping tools, horns ect. I use whatever patch material is available, cut at the muzzle.And I only use black powder, be it Goex or Swiss.And I use the same load for targets that I use for hunting.

 

[Stumpkiller]

. . . . people that don't bring a spotting scope to the range . . .

Bring a what? :rotf:


I own a spyglass, but it's only four times normal vision.

 

[charcloth]

Hey Deathwind,

I use my thumb sometimes and just wipe it off on my leggins. If I am wearing a shirt I just use part of the shirt. I dont put anything special on the shirt before wiping. I do use denatured alcohol after cleaning at home to remove any oil which may have found it's way on to the frizzen face.

Charcloth

 

[BS]

I don't use a fouling shot either.

For hunting, I leave my gun loaded, so I like to start with a clean, dry barrel.

The QUIRK is to get the second shot to shoot the same as the fist.......or the first to shoot the same as the second!

One summer,[many years ago] getting ready for a Western Elk Hunt, I spent many hours in frustration. At the end of my shooting session, I would clean and load the gun. Let it set over night, then shoot it, the next evening. I had two reall nice groups eight inches apart, over a weeks time.

Many hundred of rounds fired........

Then, I don't remember why, but I lubed the near clean barrel after loading. You guessed it! One and two were together!!!!

I loaded and lubed, and let it set over night, and ..............and the first was with the second shot.

When left loaded for a long period of time, you must lube the barrel about every third day, or just before you take it hunting............

Lubing after loading work on both roundballs or slugs. [Note of Caution] When lubing after loading, with a slug, you must reseat the bullet!

 

[hung load]

For the uninitiated...would someone kindly explain a fouling shot.

 

[Stumpkiller]

It's a shot taken before the official score begins.

Hunters call them "misses".

The purpose is to foul and warm the barrel so each following shot has more similar bore conditions (burns off the oil, mostly). Also VERY useful in doping out the wind conditions.

 

[BS]

For the uninitiated...would someone kindly explain a fouling shot.

A curse when your first shot misses. :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[lyman]

My quirk is to invite a bunch of my other hunting friends that don't understand why anyone would want to shoot under a hundred yards with iron sight, to a turkey shoot with my other hunting friends that shoot BP. We will out shoot the modern rifles at 50 yards most every time and it realy bugs them when we shoot cards in half edge ways at 25 yards all free standing. :rotf: :blah: one last thing, before a match I like to heat up my barrel because I get more consistant shots.
Bob